NHL star Jack Hughes talks Team USA, Devils, playing with legends

We have an exclusive interview with one of the rising stars of the National Hockey League and the alternate captain of the New Jersey Devils.

Jack Hughes knows how special of an honor it is to be on Team USA.

The three-time All-Star center was one of 25 hockey players to be named to the Team USA roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics that will take place in Milan in February. It'll be the first time since 2014 that NHL players will be able to participate.

Making matters even sweeter for the 24-year-old Hughes is the fact that his brother, Quinn Hughes, is also on the roster. Quinn is considered one of the best defensemen in the league and a two-time All-Star.

"Honestly, I think we're pretty similar guys," said Hughes in a one-on-one interview of how his personality relates to Quinn. "I'd say we're both pretty laid back, pretty chill away from the rink. We're pretty normal away from the rink, and then obviously once the game gets going, you kind of kick into a different gear and you turn into competitive and hyper focused. But away from the rank, we're pretty low key, laid-back guys."

It'll be the first time Hughes gets to represent Team USA at the Winter Olympics. But most of the roster has familiarity with each other having played together in the 4 Nations Face-Off at the NHL All-Star break last February. Familiar faces are there such as the Hughes brothers and Tkachuk brothers, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk.

Team USA will be looking to raise their first gold medal since the "Miracle On Ice" team did it back in 1980. This may be Team USA's best chance at doing so considering how loaded their roster is and considering they nearly defeated Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February before losing 4-3 in overtime.

"It's a great group of guys, a group of guys that know each other extremely well, whether it's playing with each other over the years, or you see these guys at weddings in the summer," said Hughes. "You can't overlook the Devils with the next three to four weeks, but I'm really looking forward to putting on the USA jersey again and being with that group of guys."

Hughes: Devils ‘in an OK spot right now’

The Devils will look to return to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Hughes wants to focus on getting New Jersey back on track rather than focusing on the Olympics weeks before it even starts. It's worth noting that Hughes missed a month of action after splitting his finger between November and December. The Devils have gone 8-10 without Hughes in the lineup this season and are 17-12-2 with him in the lineup.

"I think first of all, we have to go hard here up into the Olympic break," said Hughes. "It's three weeks of really vital, important games. Hopefully our game can kick in, and we can win some big hockey games. And then coming out of the break, you don't want to look too far ahead. But it's going to be a big, big, fast push to the playoffs.

“You want to come out of the gate strong and be dialed in and find your game early and be ready to go. We're lucky. We're in an OK spot right now, and we just have to continue to find our game. And then hopefully if we do that, we'll find ourselves in a good spot come the end of the year."

Hughes: I ‘cherish’ playing with Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane

One of the more interesting storylines will be the fact that 38-year-old Sidney Crosby will be seeking another gold medal in what could be his last Winter Olympics appearance. Crosby has won the gold medal as part of Team Canada in 2010 and 2014.

Crosby happens to be one of the players that the 24-year-old Hughes looked up to while growing up.

"Patrick Kane was my favorite," said Hughes. "Sidney Crosby -- I think every kid grew up idolizing Sidney Crosby to a degree. Those are my two favorite players hockey-wise."

Crosby is arguably the greatest player of his generation and a proven winner. He's won three Stanley Cups and has converted in clutch moments time and time again. The three-time Stanley Cup champion ranks eighth in points and assists in NHL history.

"I think he's just one of the best; he was winning Cups," said Hughes of Crosby. "Those two guys ( Kane and Crosby) were winning cups. They were playing in all the big games. They were in the Olympics, the gold medal games. Those are two guys that I always felt like I was watching on the biggest stages."

When asked if he's talked to Crosby over the years, Hughes said he has, but they're never really long conversations because it happens on the ice when you're "locked in."

"Yeah, I have," said Hughes of talking with Crosby. "I've played All-Star games with him. But you don't really chat with these guys on the ice, just because he's pretty locked in and you're doing your own thing."

Hughes spoke of how special it is to play with Kane, Crosby and Alex Ovechkin -- the NHL all-time leader in goals -- while they're still active. The 40-year-old Ovechkin could also retire any day.

"I grew up watching all these guys, so when I get the chance to play like an Ovechkin, or Crosby or Kane, you take advantage of it and you cherish it, because at some point these guys are going to retire," said Hughes. "I'm lucky that I grew up watching these guys play, and I idolized them, and now I'm one of the kids that gets to play them. It's just really special for me."